And Moshe said: "This is the thing that G-d has commanded that you do - and the glory of G-d will appear to you." (9:6) Every mitzva in the Torah has a myriad of inner, esoteric meanings, which each Jew understands according to his or her intelligence and level of Torah learning. Even the most learned scholar cannot fully grasp these secrets, for human comprehension and understanding of the infinite is limited and finite.
This is why Moses commanded the Jews - "This is the thing that G-d has commanded" - no matter how much one has studied and no matter how many inner meanings a person has learned, the real reason to do a mitzva is because G-d has so commanded. When your intent in performing a mitzva is solely because G-d wants that particular act to be performed, then "the glory of G-d will appear to you." (Tiferet Shmuel)
Reprinted from this week’s email of R’ Yedidye Hirtenfeld’s whY I Matter parsha sheet for the Young Israel of Midwood in Brooklyn.
